Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing them of not safeguarding ICE agents.
"Chicago's Mayor belongs behind bars for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on social media early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic party.
Trump's statements come alongside the deployment of National Guard personnel in the Chicago region under orders from the federal administration, notwithstanding strong objections from Illinois authorities such as Pritzker and Johnson.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Johnson responded on Wednesday. "I'm not going anywhere."
The governor responded via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to yield. Now Trump is demanding arrests of democratically chosen representatives resisting his authority. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
As of midweek, National Guard units from Texas had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 50 miles from the city, as the administration advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "dangerous hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as murders.
On Wednesday, 200 state guard members were expected to deploy to the Chicago area, with another 300 Illinois guard personnel readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities reportedly stated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers in combat attire with Texas national guard patches were spotted at the US army reserve center in Elwood. Trucks marked "Emergency Disaster Services" dropped off portable toilets and essential items. Mobile units were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was installed around the perimeter.
Aviation authorities ordered no-fly zones over the army reserve center for safety concerns until 6 December.
Federal authorities has intensified immigration enforcement in Chicago in the past month, sparking demonstrations, particularly near an immigration center in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the administration, attempting to halt the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they describe as "the president's proclaimed 'Battle'" on Chicago and Illinois, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
The mayor also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting ICE officers and others from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
Pritzker has accused Trump of using troops as "political props" and "chess pieces".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that Trump is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the army's involvement in enforcing domestic laws. Yet, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch regular army in regions that are unable to suppress an uprising or are defying federal law.
Since starting his second term, the president has dispatched or discussed sending troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, claiming that the armed forces is essential to fight violence and protect immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses across the US has decreased in recent years. In the city, for instance, murders were down nearly one-third to under three hundred through August, per police data.
New survey data released on Wednesday found that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an foreign danger.
